Changed one part of the sentence from "shown" to "suspected" because the results were not statistically significant: http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/93/20/1557.full "When bedroom ambient light level was considered as a categorical variable, there was an indication of an increased risk of breast cancer among subjects with the brightest bedrooms, but this result was not statistically significant (OR = 1.4; 95% CI = 0.8 to 2.6)." A CI of 0.8 would indicate a protective effect ... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.114.147.43 ( talk) 02:57, 11 January 2011 (UTC)
When this article someday is reorganized, which I think it needs, I'd suggest adding a History section. Some research into the media hysteria about this miracle drug, starting about early-1990s, would be appropriate. A brief timeline telling what was known, when, about melatonin would be interesting. I'm parking a couple of facts and links here.
Newsweek's cover on melatonin, 1995, might be a good illustration.
Melatonin was named by its "discoverer" in 1958; before that it was referred to as "(bovine) pineal gland extracts". Here is a link (PDF) to Dr. Aaron Bunson Lerner's first paper about it where the word melatonin is used. Dr. Lerner was then the (first) director of Yale's Department of Dermatology. Here is Lerner's NYT obit from February 2007; he died at age 86. ( UPI's obit contains an error, as Lerner's work was on the pigmentation of frog skin, not human skin.)
A very decent student project on melatonin, including a page of references, is here.
-- Hordaland ( talk) 00:14, 23 March 2008 (UTC)
I changed this line: "No studies have as yet been conducted to determine whether there are any long-term side effects. There are, however, case reports about patients who have taken the supplement for years.".[65]
To: "Case report are available on patients who have taken the supplement for years.".[65]
Can a study really be made to determine side effects? Side-effects are surely found in studies! I noticed it because I followed the link thinking it was an example of a side-effect - which was because of the way the lines were phrased. I decided to remove the first line - looking at it again, pehaps the word "to" should have read "that". -- Matt Lewis ( talk) 16:45, 18 April 2008 (UTC)
"As of 2006 melatonin is known to affect the timing of endogenous melatonin production during long-term treatment in rats."
cite journal | author = Sankaran M, Subramanian P | title = Modulation of biochemical circadian rhythms during long-term melatonin treatment in rats. | journal = Singapore Med J | year = 2006 | id = PMID 16397720
Quote from the abstract: Exogenous melatonin administered caused delays in the acrophase of glucose, total protein and melatonin rhythms, whereas advances in the acrophases of reduced glutathione were observed.
This is basic research in rats on several factors, cited here only to show effects on "the timing of endogenous melatonin production" in rats. It is already well documented that exogenous administration of melatonin affects the timing of endogenous melatonin production in humans in a phase-dependent manner (see PRC), so this is not news and is of no interest here. (Especially in a section entitled Medical indications!) -- Hordaland ( talk) 03:19, 19 April 2008 (UTC)
According to the Therapeutic Drugs Administration (Australian regulators of drugs), Melatonin is a Schedule 4 drug, ie PRESCRIPTION ONLY.
Anecdotally (and of course this isn't case-control, placebo control data), we have found it EXTREMELY effective for our autistic child, with a complete abrogation of night terrors, no hangover effect, and no apparent changes in other behaviours, other than child and rest of family being much less tired. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.11.192.124 ( talk) 00:02, 22 April 2008 (UTC)
I've found at least two internet-based suppliers who sell this without requiring a prescription. IMHO, it looks like this is being treated as a "diet supplement" rather than a "therapeutic drug", ie rather like a vitamin. Old_Wombat ( talk) 10:33, 25 November 2011 (UTC)
Melatonin is mentioned extensively in Hunter S. Thompson's novel "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", and is used recreationally by the two main characters.
I believe what the original statement is referring to is Mescaline. In the novel there is an extensive use of Mescaline, and Melatonin itself is not covered on any base in the book. If anyone does perchance find truth they may place the statement back where it belongs as it has been removed.
( AnthonyMBeck ( talk) 18:06, 4 May 2008 (UTC))
The WikiProject with this name is listed at the top of this page. Can someone from the project explain why melatonin is included? Is it thought to be a psychedelic, a dissociative or a deliriant? (I've read the long article Psychedelics, dissociatives and deliriants which doesn't mention melatonin.) Thanks. -- Hordaland ( talk) 04:58, 24 June 2008 (UTC)
My doctor recently recommended trying melatonin for the sleep deprivation caused by solumedrol. He commented that in some of his other patients, he's seen it also apparently help with the high blood sugar effects of such steroids. -- 206.3.42.247 ( talk) 13:24, 11 October 2008 (UTC)
The review article is Terry PD, Villinger F, Bubenik GA, Sitaraman SV. "Melatonin and ulcerative colitis: Evidence, biological mechanisms, and future research." Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2008 Jul 14. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 18626968
There have been three decent studies showing that melatonin improves IBS; only case studies have been reported for UC. Nevertheless, there is evidence that melatonin levels and UC incidence and severity are linked. My own analysis is that melatonin as a short-term adjunct treatment in UC, IBS, and presumably Crohn's looks promising. Anybody want to add this? Richard Knight ( talk) 03:18, 23 October 2008 (UTC)
If taken several hours before bedtime according to the phase response curve (PRC) for melatonin, it merely advances the phase of melatonin production. If taken 30 to 90 minutes before bedtime, it advances the period of melatonin's presence in the blood. 91.132.224.196 ( talk) 09:08, 11 February 2009 (UTC)
The following text (bullet point below) with its 2 refs, claimed to be by the same author, was recently removed by an IP. I saw that with relief, as it has bothered me; it seemed remote to the topic and Wikipedia doesn't predict the future. Now I've read the entire first ref , which doesn't mention melatonin. I've read the abstract of what might be the second ref ('right' PMID, 'wrong' authors' names); melatonin isn't named here, either, and the content seems quite removed from the sentence it supposedly supported. It's about DMT, and our DMT-article mentions melatonin only once: "Growth hormone blood levels rose equally in response to all doses of DMT, and melatonin levels were unaffected."
Essentially the same text seems to have been added the first time 12 March 2007 by user:Pierre-Alain Gouanvic. As mentioned it was just removed by an IP, then restored by BorgQueen, then removed by myself. (I'll notify BorgQueen of the mention here.)
- Hordaland ( talk) 17:19, 30 May 2009 (UTC)
I would dispute the statement that is in "Safety of supplementation" after the citation #75... 'In addition, the industry is now required to report to the FDA "all serious dietary supplement related adverse events."' The FDA has ALWAYS required supplement companies to report serious adverse effects... they are just cracking down on it more with the new cGMP guidelines. It also doesn't help that this isn't cited. The FDA website (at http://google2.fda.gov/search?q=serious+adverse+effects+supplements&x=0&y=0&client=FDAgov&site=FDAgov&lr=&proxystylesheet=FDAgov&output=xml_no_dtd&getfields=* ) has over 3000 hits about serious adverse effects that have been reported with various supplements over time and they date back many years before the cGMP guidelines were established, but it would take hours of searching to give citation saying how long they have required the reporting. If the alteration I'm making on it isn't good enough, then please delete the statement as it wasn't cited. Burleigh2 ( talk) 15:35, 20 August 2009 (UTC)
Instead of starting an edit war, I will post this here. Recently, a "Citation required" tab was put on a clip at the start of the 'Safety of Supplementation' section. It's basically common knowledge that it is available OTC in many countries ('common knowledge' being that you can walk into most drug stores and find it on the shelf) where other countries require a prescription (you have it behind the counter in those countries), but I found a website that specified this and posted the link, but it was removed with a note that the original should be referred. The problem is, the original source (which is listed in the PDF at http://adc.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/90/11/1206 ) is a website that you have to have a subscription for to view and look up the articles. Does that make it any less valid of information? I found it on Yahoo and there is an option for viewing the page as an HTML at http://74.6.146.127/search/cache?ei=UTF-8&p=where+is+melatonin+prescribed%3F&y=Search&fr=yfp-t-153&u=www.pennspecials.co.uk/1184.file.dld&w=where+melatonin+prescribed+prescribe+prescribing&d=KpbrRBlMTIoX&icp=1&.intl=us but I'm not sure if that would suffice for this user. Any objections to using this link instead? Burleigh2 ( talk) 21:37, 25 August 2009 (UTC)
I'm not sure why there isn't a mention on this, but why doesn't it specify in the article that Melatonin shouldn't be given to children unless specified by their doctor? There's a warning right on most bottles and at http://www.drugs.com/mtm/melatonin.html that says not to give it to children. I've come across this issue several times of people giving it to a child and my brain just screams out because of that. Can anyone shed some light on this or find an appropriate place in the article for such a warning? Burleigh2 ( talk) 21:19, 23 October 2009 (UTC)
Agreeing with SDY. In most countries, the hormone is a prescription drug if it is available at all. Thus it is required to be specified by a doctor for patients of all ages. Melatonin is prescribed for children with developmental disorders, ADHD and circadian rhythm disorders. One review by a US government agency found that melatonin is appreciably more effective in reducing sleep onset latency in people younger than 18 than in adults, though the averages don't amount to so very many minutes. They also found that melatonin has little or no effect in people without "circadian abnormalities", as they put it. I'm quite sure I've read that normal children produce higher levels of melatonin than do adults. So I think the warnings are extra careful. - Hordaland ( talk) 00:31, 24 October 2009 (UTC)
PDF: Melatonin in paedatric sleep disorders Six pages + references. London New Drugs Group, January 2008. Found through a search at: NHS Evidence. "Systematic reviews and meta-analyses" etc. - Hordaland ( talk) 09:23, 5 November 2009 (UTC)
In the Netherlands I and some of my students have used melatonin from a particular brand. This caused very strange dreams. With melatonin in other brands in the same dosage we did not have such dreams. We link this to impurities. We have heard rumors, that this particular brand used melatonin from animal pineals obtained from China. I was not able to substantiate this. When melatonin causes nightmares, one could change the brand and find out if this makes a difference. (Moving personal comments of 14 November by Andreas333 to Talk from article.)
Someone is insisting on using a 1995 reference which states: "Melatonin is not licensed for sale in pharmacies in the UK at the present time but can be bought over the counter in health food shops. Recent newspaper reports suggest that the Medicines Control Agency has written to the suppliers of the synthetic hormone to tell them that in future it will only be available on prescription." (My emphasis.)
That 15-year-old ref isn't good enough to say anything about the availability of melatonin, prescription or OTC, in the UK in 2010.
Our article now states: "Melatonin is available without prescription in most cases in the United States and Canada, while it is available only by prescription or not at all in some other countries." That's all we have any basis for saying, until new sources are found. - Hordaland ( talk) 10:26, 2 February 2010 (UTC)
That 15 year old ref which states that melatonin then was available in "health food shops" but that the Medicines Control Agency has written ... that in future it will only be available on prescription is in no way a sufficient reference about the situation in 2010. The ref clearly states that the situation in 1995 will likely change. Your shopping experiences are Original Research. What does the Medicines Control Agency say today? Reverting, and restoring the rest of the paragraph, which has gone missing. Hordaland ( talk) 14:55, 12 February 2010 (UTC)
Of course it's legal. All of you people are guilty of not doing your research ;) The confusioned arises from the fact in the UK, Melatonin is not available in pharmacies due to a mid-90s restriction that's not been repealed. However it IS available in health food shops such as Holland and Barrett etc. http://priory.com/mel.htm 81.97.127.199 ( talk) 08:13, 10 March 2011 (UTC)
Unlike numerous articles on the subject, this article was leaning very strongly (suspiciously) towards only selling the over the counter drug. The article suggested that there is nothing you can eat that will significantly increase melatonin levels. (This has been debated and the article should have revealed this). Nor did it explicitly suggest anything else people can do (other than swallow medication) to affect levels such as sunlight upon waking or explicitly stating that simply darkening a room may do the trick. Not that there was not some great information here; it is just that it all led to "the fact" that the only thing we can rationally do is "buy now!" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.233.128.12 ( talk) 10:49, 3 July 2010 (UTC)
/// on a different spin of an "unbalanced drug ad" is there any critical mass of people who find the PHOTOGRAPH in the page (on this date) a bit too promotional? The Natures Best and Walgreens brands are prominent, as well as the price, all sitting atop a British Telecom mousepad. Perhaps I am being oversensitive, and have no intention to take any action / but thought I would raise the point since for me PERSONALLY the current photo raised my hackles a little - though it smacks of a well intentioned visual reference from real-life posted by someone trying to simply show a bottle of this purportedly magic potion... GrinchPeru ( talk) 02:41, 16 January 2011 (UTC)
Humans could not have had only six hours of light in sub-saharan Africa in winter, considering that here in Ireland we have at least 8 or 9 hours of light for the majority of winter. I'm pretty sure it would in fact be 10+ hours all year around.
Do you really believe humans are designed to live in blackness for 16 hours a day at times? I'm removing it. Anonywiki ( talk) 17:09, 4 July 2010 (UTC)
Reading the discussions, I am not the first to notice and am in no way appeased by statements such as, "I admit the article needs some work."
Long before I reached this subheading I was fairly certain I was reading an advertisement for snake oil. A bit of clarification would be helpful here. For instance: Are the properties which limit damage to the human body from radiation related to the properties by which Melatonin reduces the effect of voodoo curses? This is important to the few who may have been born not only with a functioning brain but also armed with skepticism and not afraid to use it.
Not worried about Fukushima? Then try it as a recreational drug like Marijuana, or maybe even LSD! No? Then how about using it to kick that cocaine habit! Sex life got you down? Melatonin is the drug supplement for you! Also good for fire ant infestation, global warming and acne!
I'm a fraction of a tick away from lobbying for deletion.
-- cregil (talk) 03:23, 5 May 2011 (UTC)
Not yet mentioned here is the use to control REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RSD). Student7 ( talk) 01:27, 23 May 2011 (UTC)
[redacted]
The Nayak et al. melanopsin reference was published in January 2007, not 2006 as shown in the citation. This is incredibly minor, but just thought you'd like to know. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.88.0.227 ( talk) 20:34, 14 March 2012 (UTC)
I have today made some improvements. Sections are moved around. Some redundancies are deleted. The article has two sections: "Medical uses" and "Use as medication" which now follow together. Much improvement is still needed on these two sections, combining them. I haven't looked for better sources (yet). -- Hordaland ( talk) 02:50, 15 March 2012 (UTC)
An IP left a comment in the article, about melatonin in plants. I reverted it and am pasting it here:
This should be checked, which foods were checked? Montemorecy cherry juice has been found to elevate melotonin in the body and produce longer sleep see Howatson, G., Bell, P.G., Tallent, J., Middleton, B., McHugh, M.P., Ellis, J. (In press – DOI: 10.1007/s00394-011-0263-7). Effect of tart cherry juice (Prunus cerasus) on melatonin levels and enhanced sleep quality. European Journal of Nutrition.
Changed one part of the sentence from "shown" to "suspected" because the results were not statistically significant: http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/93/20/1557.full "When bedroom ambient light level was considered as a categorical variable, there was an indication of an increased risk of breast cancer among subjects with the brightest bedrooms, but this result was not statistically significant (OR = 1.4; 95% CI = 0.8 to 2.6)." A CI of 0.8 would indicate a protective effect ... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.114.147.43 ( talk) 02:57, 11 January 2011 (UTC)
When this article someday is reorganized, which I think it needs, I'd suggest adding a History section. Some research into the media hysteria about this miracle drug, starting about early-1990s, would be appropriate. A brief timeline telling what was known, when, about melatonin would be interesting. I'm parking a couple of facts and links here.
Newsweek's cover on melatonin, 1995, might be a good illustration.
Melatonin was named by its "discoverer" in 1958; before that it was referred to as "(bovine) pineal gland extracts". Here is a link (PDF) to Dr. Aaron Bunson Lerner's first paper about it where the word melatonin is used. Dr. Lerner was then the (first) director of Yale's Department of Dermatology. Here is Lerner's NYT obit from February 2007; he died at age 86. ( UPI's obit contains an error, as Lerner's work was on the pigmentation of frog skin, not human skin.)
A very decent student project on melatonin, including a page of references, is here.
-- Hordaland ( talk) 00:14, 23 March 2008 (UTC)
I changed this line: "No studies have as yet been conducted to determine whether there are any long-term side effects. There are, however, case reports about patients who have taken the supplement for years.".[65]
To: "Case report are available on patients who have taken the supplement for years.".[65]
Can a study really be made to determine side effects? Side-effects are surely found in studies! I noticed it because I followed the link thinking it was an example of a side-effect - which was because of the way the lines were phrased. I decided to remove the first line - looking at it again, pehaps the word "to" should have read "that". -- Matt Lewis ( talk) 16:45, 18 April 2008 (UTC)
"As of 2006 melatonin is known to affect the timing of endogenous melatonin production during long-term treatment in rats."
cite journal | author = Sankaran M, Subramanian P | title = Modulation of biochemical circadian rhythms during long-term melatonin treatment in rats. | journal = Singapore Med J | year = 2006 | id = PMID 16397720
Quote from the abstract: Exogenous melatonin administered caused delays in the acrophase of glucose, total protein and melatonin rhythms, whereas advances in the acrophases of reduced glutathione were observed.
This is basic research in rats on several factors, cited here only to show effects on "the timing of endogenous melatonin production" in rats. It is already well documented that exogenous administration of melatonin affects the timing of endogenous melatonin production in humans in a phase-dependent manner (see PRC), so this is not news and is of no interest here. (Especially in a section entitled Medical indications!) -- Hordaland ( talk) 03:19, 19 April 2008 (UTC)
According to the Therapeutic Drugs Administration (Australian regulators of drugs), Melatonin is a Schedule 4 drug, ie PRESCRIPTION ONLY.
Anecdotally (and of course this isn't case-control, placebo control data), we have found it EXTREMELY effective for our autistic child, with a complete abrogation of night terrors, no hangover effect, and no apparent changes in other behaviours, other than child and rest of family being much less tired. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.11.192.124 ( talk) 00:02, 22 April 2008 (UTC)
I've found at least two internet-based suppliers who sell this without requiring a prescription. IMHO, it looks like this is being treated as a "diet supplement" rather than a "therapeutic drug", ie rather like a vitamin. Old_Wombat ( talk) 10:33, 25 November 2011 (UTC)
Melatonin is mentioned extensively in Hunter S. Thompson's novel "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", and is used recreationally by the two main characters.
I believe what the original statement is referring to is Mescaline. In the novel there is an extensive use of Mescaline, and Melatonin itself is not covered on any base in the book. If anyone does perchance find truth they may place the statement back where it belongs as it has been removed.
( AnthonyMBeck ( talk) 18:06, 4 May 2008 (UTC))
The WikiProject with this name is listed at the top of this page. Can someone from the project explain why melatonin is included? Is it thought to be a psychedelic, a dissociative or a deliriant? (I've read the long article Psychedelics, dissociatives and deliriants which doesn't mention melatonin.) Thanks. -- Hordaland ( talk) 04:58, 24 June 2008 (UTC)
My doctor recently recommended trying melatonin for the sleep deprivation caused by solumedrol. He commented that in some of his other patients, he's seen it also apparently help with the high blood sugar effects of such steroids. -- 206.3.42.247 ( talk) 13:24, 11 October 2008 (UTC)
The review article is Terry PD, Villinger F, Bubenik GA, Sitaraman SV. "Melatonin and ulcerative colitis: Evidence, biological mechanisms, and future research." Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2008 Jul 14. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 18626968
There have been three decent studies showing that melatonin improves IBS; only case studies have been reported for UC. Nevertheless, there is evidence that melatonin levels and UC incidence and severity are linked. My own analysis is that melatonin as a short-term adjunct treatment in UC, IBS, and presumably Crohn's looks promising. Anybody want to add this? Richard Knight ( talk) 03:18, 23 October 2008 (UTC)
If taken several hours before bedtime according to the phase response curve (PRC) for melatonin, it merely advances the phase of melatonin production. If taken 30 to 90 minutes before bedtime, it advances the period of melatonin's presence in the blood. 91.132.224.196 ( talk) 09:08, 11 February 2009 (UTC)
The following text (bullet point below) with its 2 refs, claimed to be by the same author, was recently removed by an IP. I saw that with relief, as it has bothered me; it seemed remote to the topic and Wikipedia doesn't predict the future. Now I've read the entire first ref , which doesn't mention melatonin. I've read the abstract of what might be the second ref ('right' PMID, 'wrong' authors' names); melatonin isn't named here, either, and the content seems quite removed from the sentence it supposedly supported. It's about DMT, and our DMT-article mentions melatonin only once: "Growth hormone blood levels rose equally in response to all doses of DMT, and melatonin levels were unaffected."
Essentially the same text seems to have been added the first time 12 March 2007 by user:Pierre-Alain Gouanvic. As mentioned it was just removed by an IP, then restored by BorgQueen, then removed by myself. (I'll notify BorgQueen of the mention here.)
- Hordaland ( talk) 17:19, 30 May 2009 (UTC)
I would dispute the statement that is in "Safety of supplementation" after the citation #75... 'In addition, the industry is now required to report to the FDA "all serious dietary supplement related adverse events."' The FDA has ALWAYS required supplement companies to report serious adverse effects... they are just cracking down on it more with the new cGMP guidelines. It also doesn't help that this isn't cited. The FDA website (at http://google2.fda.gov/search?q=serious+adverse+effects+supplements&x=0&y=0&client=FDAgov&site=FDAgov&lr=&proxystylesheet=FDAgov&output=xml_no_dtd&getfields=* ) has over 3000 hits about serious adverse effects that have been reported with various supplements over time and they date back many years before the cGMP guidelines were established, but it would take hours of searching to give citation saying how long they have required the reporting. If the alteration I'm making on it isn't good enough, then please delete the statement as it wasn't cited. Burleigh2 ( talk) 15:35, 20 August 2009 (UTC)
Instead of starting an edit war, I will post this here. Recently, a "Citation required" tab was put on a clip at the start of the 'Safety of Supplementation' section. It's basically common knowledge that it is available OTC in many countries ('common knowledge' being that you can walk into most drug stores and find it on the shelf) where other countries require a prescription (you have it behind the counter in those countries), but I found a website that specified this and posted the link, but it was removed with a note that the original should be referred. The problem is, the original source (which is listed in the PDF at http://adc.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/90/11/1206 ) is a website that you have to have a subscription for to view and look up the articles. Does that make it any less valid of information? I found it on Yahoo and there is an option for viewing the page as an HTML at http://74.6.146.127/search/cache?ei=UTF-8&p=where+is+melatonin+prescribed%3F&y=Search&fr=yfp-t-153&u=www.pennspecials.co.uk/1184.file.dld&w=where+melatonin+prescribed+prescribe+prescribing&d=KpbrRBlMTIoX&icp=1&.intl=us but I'm not sure if that would suffice for this user. Any objections to using this link instead? Burleigh2 ( talk) 21:37, 25 August 2009 (UTC)
I'm not sure why there isn't a mention on this, but why doesn't it specify in the article that Melatonin shouldn't be given to children unless specified by their doctor? There's a warning right on most bottles and at http://www.drugs.com/mtm/melatonin.html that says not to give it to children. I've come across this issue several times of people giving it to a child and my brain just screams out because of that. Can anyone shed some light on this or find an appropriate place in the article for such a warning? Burleigh2 ( talk) 21:19, 23 October 2009 (UTC)
Agreeing with SDY. In most countries, the hormone is a prescription drug if it is available at all. Thus it is required to be specified by a doctor for patients of all ages. Melatonin is prescribed for children with developmental disorders, ADHD and circadian rhythm disorders. One review by a US government agency found that melatonin is appreciably more effective in reducing sleep onset latency in people younger than 18 than in adults, though the averages don't amount to so very many minutes. They also found that melatonin has little or no effect in people without "circadian abnormalities", as they put it. I'm quite sure I've read that normal children produce higher levels of melatonin than do adults. So I think the warnings are extra careful. - Hordaland ( talk) 00:31, 24 October 2009 (UTC)
PDF: Melatonin in paedatric sleep disorders Six pages + references. London New Drugs Group, January 2008. Found through a search at: NHS Evidence. "Systematic reviews and meta-analyses" etc. - Hordaland ( talk) 09:23, 5 November 2009 (UTC)
In the Netherlands I and some of my students have used melatonin from a particular brand. This caused very strange dreams. With melatonin in other brands in the same dosage we did not have such dreams. We link this to impurities. We have heard rumors, that this particular brand used melatonin from animal pineals obtained from China. I was not able to substantiate this. When melatonin causes nightmares, one could change the brand and find out if this makes a difference. (Moving personal comments of 14 November by Andreas333 to Talk from article.)
Someone is insisting on using a 1995 reference which states: "Melatonin is not licensed for sale in pharmacies in the UK at the present time but can be bought over the counter in health food shops. Recent newspaper reports suggest that the Medicines Control Agency has written to the suppliers of the synthetic hormone to tell them that in future it will only be available on prescription." (My emphasis.)
That 15-year-old ref isn't good enough to say anything about the availability of melatonin, prescription or OTC, in the UK in 2010.
Our article now states: "Melatonin is available without prescription in most cases in the United States and Canada, while it is available only by prescription or not at all in some other countries." That's all we have any basis for saying, until new sources are found. - Hordaland ( talk) 10:26, 2 February 2010 (UTC)
That 15 year old ref which states that melatonin then was available in "health food shops" but that the Medicines Control Agency has written ... that in future it will only be available on prescription is in no way a sufficient reference about the situation in 2010. The ref clearly states that the situation in 1995 will likely change. Your shopping experiences are Original Research. What does the Medicines Control Agency say today? Reverting, and restoring the rest of the paragraph, which has gone missing. Hordaland ( talk) 14:55, 12 February 2010 (UTC)
Of course it's legal. All of you people are guilty of not doing your research ;) The confusioned arises from the fact in the UK, Melatonin is not available in pharmacies due to a mid-90s restriction that's not been repealed. However it IS available in health food shops such as Holland and Barrett etc. http://priory.com/mel.htm 81.97.127.199 ( talk) 08:13, 10 March 2011 (UTC)
Unlike numerous articles on the subject, this article was leaning very strongly (suspiciously) towards only selling the over the counter drug. The article suggested that there is nothing you can eat that will significantly increase melatonin levels. (This has been debated and the article should have revealed this). Nor did it explicitly suggest anything else people can do (other than swallow medication) to affect levels such as sunlight upon waking or explicitly stating that simply darkening a room may do the trick. Not that there was not some great information here; it is just that it all led to "the fact" that the only thing we can rationally do is "buy now!" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.233.128.12 ( talk) 10:49, 3 July 2010 (UTC)
/// on a different spin of an "unbalanced drug ad" is there any critical mass of people who find the PHOTOGRAPH in the page (on this date) a bit too promotional? The Natures Best and Walgreens brands are prominent, as well as the price, all sitting atop a British Telecom mousepad. Perhaps I am being oversensitive, and have no intention to take any action / but thought I would raise the point since for me PERSONALLY the current photo raised my hackles a little - though it smacks of a well intentioned visual reference from real-life posted by someone trying to simply show a bottle of this purportedly magic potion... GrinchPeru ( talk) 02:41, 16 January 2011 (UTC)
Humans could not have had only six hours of light in sub-saharan Africa in winter, considering that here in Ireland we have at least 8 or 9 hours of light for the majority of winter. I'm pretty sure it would in fact be 10+ hours all year around.
Do you really believe humans are designed to live in blackness for 16 hours a day at times? I'm removing it. Anonywiki ( talk) 17:09, 4 July 2010 (UTC)
Reading the discussions, I am not the first to notice and am in no way appeased by statements such as, "I admit the article needs some work."
Long before I reached this subheading I was fairly certain I was reading an advertisement for snake oil. A bit of clarification would be helpful here. For instance: Are the properties which limit damage to the human body from radiation related to the properties by which Melatonin reduces the effect of voodoo curses? This is important to the few who may have been born not only with a functioning brain but also armed with skepticism and not afraid to use it.
Not worried about Fukushima? Then try it as a recreational drug like Marijuana, or maybe even LSD! No? Then how about using it to kick that cocaine habit! Sex life got you down? Melatonin is the drug supplement for you! Also good for fire ant infestation, global warming and acne!
I'm a fraction of a tick away from lobbying for deletion.
-- cregil (talk) 03:23, 5 May 2011 (UTC)
Not yet mentioned here is the use to control REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RSD). Student7 ( talk) 01:27, 23 May 2011 (UTC)
[redacted]
The Nayak et al. melanopsin reference was published in January 2007, not 2006 as shown in the citation. This is incredibly minor, but just thought you'd like to know. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.88.0.227 ( talk) 20:34, 14 March 2012 (UTC)
I have today made some improvements. Sections are moved around. Some redundancies are deleted. The article has two sections: "Medical uses" and "Use as medication" which now follow together. Much improvement is still needed on these two sections, combining them. I haven't looked for better sources (yet). -- Hordaland ( talk) 02:50, 15 March 2012 (UTC)
An IP left a comment in the article, about melatonin in plants. I reverted it and am pasting it here:
This should be checked, which foods were checked? Montemorecy cherry juice has been found to elevate melotonin in the body and produce longer sleep see Howatson, G., Bell, P.G., Tallent, J., Middleton, B., McHugh, M.P., Ellis, J. (In press – DOI: 10.1007/s00394-011-0263-7). Effect of tart cherry juice (Prunus cerasus) on melatonin levels and enhanced sleep quality. European Journal of Nutrition.